Inesite is a striking manganese silicate prized by collectors for its vibrant pink to reddish-pink color and distinct radiating crystal sprays. It is most commonly found as dense, spherical or sheaf-like aggregates in hydrothermal veins, particularly within manganese-rich metamorphic environments.
Is this inesite?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch inesite with a known reference. Inesite sits at Mohs 5.5-6, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous to silky.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: pink, brown, orange.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: triclinic. Typical habit: massive, radial, spherical.
Often confused with
Inesite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside inesite
Minerals reported to co-occur with inesite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ca₂Mn₇Si₁₀O₂₈(OH)₂·5H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 5.5-6
- Density
- 3.03-3.04 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous to silky
- Transparency
- Transparent to translucent
- Crystal system
- Triclinic
- Crystal habit
- Massive, radial, spherical
- Cleavage
- Perfect on {010}, good on {100}
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Specimen
- Host rock
- A late-stage hydrothermal mineral in manganese deposits
Where rockhounds find inesite
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Quinault, Grays Harbor Co., and in the Crescent mine, Olympic Peninsula, Clallam Co., Washington, USA
- Equity mine, near Creede, Mineral Co., Colorado, USA
- Hale Creek mine, near Red River, Trinity Co., California, USA
- Nanzenbach, near Dillenburg, Hesse, Germany
- Långban and in the Harstigen mine, near Persberg, Värmland, Sweden
- Sa̧ca̧râmb (Nagyág), Romania
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: A late-stage hydrothermal mineral in manganese deposits. If you start seeing rhodochrosite, bementite, hausmannite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: massive, radial, spherical. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in California. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify inesite?+
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Can I find inesite in the United States?+
What rocks look like inesite?+
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Find inesite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
